Folding chair with concealed back adjustment



M. I THOMAS Jan. 12, 1960 FOLDING CHAIR WITH CONCEALED BACK ADJUSTMENT 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 9, 1958 b lt li INVENTOR. M0870! F o/v45 M.l. THOMAS 2,920,686

FOLDING CHAIR WITH CONCEALED BACK ADJUSTMENT Jan. 12, 1960 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 9, 1958 l Ill Mll HlHdl -l Ell-I2. ll!

' FOLDING CHAIR wrrn coNcEAL'Ei') BACK ADJUSTMENT The invention hereindisclosed relates to folding chairs and like furniture of the tubularframe form'of construction. a

Special objects of the invention are to provide an adjustable foldingtype of chair or chaise in which the mechanism for afiectingand enablingthe adjustment and folding operations will be entirely concealed andprotected so as not to be in the way and so as not to possibly injurepersons or clothing.

Other special objects of the invention are to provide furniture of suchcharacter which can be produced at reasonable cost and which will begenerallypractical and desirable.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by certain.

novel features of construction, combinations and relations of parts allas hereinafter defined and claimed.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the followingspecification are illustrative of a present practical embodiment of theinvention. Structure however may be modified and changed as regards suchillustration, all within the true intent and scope of the invention ashereinafter defined and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawings is' a side elevation of a chair embodyingfeatures of the invention with broken lines indicating adjustment ofsame to dilferent positions.

Fig. 2 is a side view illustrating relation of parts in the folding andunfolding operations.

Fig. 3 is'a broken enlarged sectional view showing cooperating parts ofthe adjustment mechanism carried by the leg and arm forming portions ofthe chair, in the upright back position indicated in full lines, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a similar view with parts in the fully reclined positionindicated in broken lines.

Fig. 5 is a broken longitudinal sectional view on substantially theplane of line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on substantially the plane of line 6-6of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a part sectional plan view on substantially the plane of line7-7 of Fig. e

The chair illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is shown as made up of front andback leg frames 10 and 11 of tubular U formation pivotally connectedtogether at the top at 12, a seat frame 13 pivoted to the front legframe at 14, and a back frame 15 of U formation pivoted at the lower endat 16 to the seat frame by a rod having angular extension 17 pivoted tothe rear leg frame at 18.

'A leg rest frame 19 of tubular U formation is shown pivoted to thefront end of the seat frame at 20 and this leg rest frame is shown assupported by a folding tubular frame 21 pivotally connected with the legrest frame at 22.

The seat frame 13, back rest frame 15 and leg rest frame 19 are usuallycovered with webbing or wide fabric secured at the ends by fasteningssuch as disclosed in Patents No. 2,817,392, December 24, 1957, Morton I.Thomas, Web Fastening, and No. 2,856,990, Ser. NO. 695,276, October 21,1958, Morton I. Thomas,

United imPatentQ 'f p 2,920,686 Patented Jan. 12,1960

Fastening of Wide Fabric to Metal Chair Frames and the Like. j The armsof the chair illustrated are of special hairpin construction made up, asshown in Fig. 7, of parallel lengths of tubing 23, 24 connected at thefront by bends or bows 25, with the inner lengths 23 pivotally connectedat 26 with the back frame 15 and the outer lengths 24 containing themechanism for adjustably connecting the back rest with the legs.

The pivotal engagement of the arms with the back is shown as effected'by U clips 27 secured to the back frame byrivets 28, receiving the endsof arm elements '23 and through which the pivot studs or rivets 26 arepassed. V

The mechanism for adjusting the arms and back comprises, in the presentillustration, plates 29 secured over the inner sides of the rear legframes 11 by rivets30, Figs. 3, 4 and 6 between the upper ends of thefront and back leg frames and projecting up through narrow slots 31 inthe outer arm lengths 24 into position to engage spaced stops 32, 33, 34and 35 in said tubular lengths.

The stops 32, 33 and 34 are shown carried by special brackets secured inthe central portions of the tubes 24,

whereas the final stops 35 are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 aslikeconstruction having the side rails 36, 37, Fig. 5

connected in spaced apart relation by cross pieces constituting thestops 32, 33, 34.

These brackets, as shown in Fig. 6, are of cross sec-' tional dimensionsto substantially fit the interior of the tubes, as shown in Fig. 6, sothat they each can then be secured against longitudinal or rockingmovements in the tubes by a single cross rivet 38.

Fig. 3 shows how with the first stops 32 engaged with the upstandingplates or lugs 29 the back rest will be held in the upright positionshown in full lines Fig. 1. The back may then be easily lowered bylifting the arm rests slightly to carry the stops 32 from engagementwith lugs 29 and whereupon the back may be held in either the loweredpositions indicated in broken lines, Fig. l, by releasing the arm reststo engage stops 33 or 34 with the lugs, or, if dmired, the arm rests maybe held up to permit engagement of the forward ends 35 of the slots withlugs 29 as in Fig. 4 for fully lowered position of the back rest.

In these adjustments the arms are prevented from being lifted out ofengagement with the upstanding lugs 29 by angular extensions 39 on theupper ends of the lugs of greater lateral extent than the Width of slots31.

This interlocked engagement of the lugs within the tubes may be effectedby inserting the lugs up through the slots before secured the lugs inposition on the upper ends of the legs and the ladder brackets may beinserted and secured in place in the arm forming tubes before thosetubes are pivoted to the back rest.

The clips 28 to which the arm rests are pivoted hold the arm restsagainst twisting and keep the enclosed stop brackets in position forproper engagement with the upstanding stops on the legs.

The lugs or stop plates 29 are shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 6 as havingrounded lower end portions 40 extending about the inner sides of therear leg tubes 11, thus to center the lugs over these tubes into directalignment with the slots 31 in the undersides of the arm tubes 24.

Inclined cam slopes 41 on the inner edges of the stop lugs 29 operate inthe folding movement of the chair frame, Fig. 2, by engagement withlower ends 42 of the slots to lift the arms sufiiciently to avoid anyinterference with the folding action. These cams also operate to liftthe arm rests when the back rest is raised, making it unnecesary torelease the arm rests by hand when it is desired to lift the back restto an upright or more nearly upright position.

In addition to-mechanical and manufacturing advantages the chair,constructed as des cribed, is of neat, :clean, ornamental appearance.The stop brackets within the arms are secured by single rivets, hardlytobe noticed on the arms and the adjusting mechanism, except for the smallportions of the lugs below the arms, is entirely concealed and protectedagainst any contact with the hands or clothing of the occupant of thechair. The doubled arm construction provides more comfortable rest forthe arms and while the outer tubes of these arm rests contain the stopmechanism the inner tubes of the arm rests may serve as guards,preventing the fingers reaching the small exposed portions of the stopmechanism.

The few parts required in .the make-up of the chair also is a factor inthe low costof manufacture of this chair construction.

' What is claimed is:

1. A folding chair with concealed back adjustment means comprising incombination, front and back leg forming tubes with their upper ends inside-by-side relation, a lug plate interposed between said upper endsand having a lower portion curved in close fitting engagement with theback leg tube and a straight flat upper portion projecting above saidupper ends of said tubes, a fastening securing said curved portion ofthe plate in close fitting non-rotative engagement with said back'legtube, a pivot pin extending through the upper end portions of said legtubes and through the portion of the plate between the same and wherebysaid plate is rigidly secured in upstanding relation between thepivotally connected leg tubes, a seat frame pivoted to the front legtube at its forward end, a back frame pivotally connected at its lowerend to the back leg tube and tothe seat frame, a tubular arm restpivotally connected to said back frame at its rearward end and having anelongated, straight, narrow slot in the underside of the same slidinglyreceiving said upwardly projecting fiat straight upper lug ortion ofsaid plate, the upper end of said lug portion having an angularextension disposed within the tubular arm rest toprevent escape of saidlug portion through said narrow slot in the arm rest and a bracketfixedly secured within said tubular arm rest having spaced stopshoulders disposed over said longitudinal slot in position forengagement by the upper end portion of the lug disposed within saidtubular armrest.

2."A folding chair with concealed backadjustment means comprising incombination, front and back leg forming tubes with their upper ends inside-by-side relalation, a lug plate interposed between said upper endsand having a lower portion curved in close fitting engagement with theback leg tube and a straight flat upper portion projecting above saidupper ends of said tubes, a fastening securing said curved portion ofthe plate in close fitting non-rotative engagement with said back legtube, a pivot pin extending through the upper end portions of said legtubes and through the portion of the the plate between the same andwhereby said plate is rigidly secured in upstanding relation between thepivotally connected leg tubes, a seat frame pivoted to the front legtube at its forward end, a back frame pivotally connected at its lowerend to the back leg tube and to the seat frame, a tubular arm restpivotally connected to said back frame at its rearward end and having anelongated, straight, narrow slot in the underside of the same slidinglyreceiving said upwardly projecting fiat straight upper lug portion ofsaid plate, the upper end of said lug portion having an angularextension disposed within the tubular arm rest to prevent escape of saidlugportion through said narrow slot in the arm rest and a bracketfixedly secured within said tubular arm rest having spaced stopshoulders disposed over said longitudinal slot in position forengagement'by the upper end portion of the lug disposed within saidtubular arm rest and said tubular arm rest being of hairpin constructionwith double lengths in substantially parallel side-by-side relationconnected by a rounded bend forming a hand support at the front of thechair and the pivotal connection between said arm rest and said backframe comprising a U-clip embracing the back frame and having forwardlyprojecting spaced side portions with the inner length of said doubledarm rest'interposed between said spaced sides and a pivot pin'extendingthrough both said lengths and through said side portions of said U-clip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.173,766 Rosenfield Dec. 28, 1954 D. 180,492 Martine June 18, 1957246,465 Cotton Aug. 30, 1881 485,273 Hacklaender Nov. 1, 1892 2,213,590Parry Sept. 3, 1940 2,428,877 Holabird Oct. 14, 1947 2,454,408 Roth Nov.'23, 1948 2,659,416 Heyman Nov. 17, 1953 2,847,060 Pearlstine Aug. 12,1958 2,872,969 Thomas Feb. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 497,946 GreatBritain Dec. 30, 1938

